Start the Year With One Shared Idea
January kickoffs, all-hands and annual planning meetings are where a company decides what kind of year it is going to have. Chris Sund gives that room a theme people can carry past the parking lot: you are capable of more, and here is what that looks like on an ordinary Tuesday in March.
What a Kickoff Keynote Has to Do
A new-year kickoff is not a sales rally and it is not a conference session. Everyone is in the room, leadership has just shared the plan, and people are deciding whether this year will be different. Chris builds around what everyone in the building shares: the gap between what they are doing and what they are capable of.
- Set the tone for the year in language the whole company uses afterward
- Accountability framed as ownership, not as a new initiative
- Culture as something people do daily, not a poster on the wall
- Material that lands for frontline and leadership in the same session
- Original research: 92% believe they are capable of more than they are doing now
Programs for Company Kickoffs
Every session is customized to your company, your theme, and the year ahead.
Your Team Is Capable of More
Built for teams: the natural theme for a kickoff that asks everyone to raise the bar together.
You Are Capable of More
The signature keynote and the strongest fit for an all-company room.
You Are Capable of a Better Culture
For kickoffs where the year’s priority is the workplace itself.
You Are Capable of More: Sales
The sales track: consistency, ownership of the number, and objection handling with LAARC and LOCKS, Chris’s deal framework for cracking the code of the deal through the five conditions a buyer needs before saying yes.
Planning Timeline
Kickoffs run in January and February and are booked in the fourth quarter. A simple plan:
Set the date and theme
Confirm the date, the audience, and the one idea you want people to carry into the year. Check speaker availability early.
Book and align
Lock the speaker. Share your theme and leadership messages so the keynote reinforces them. Place a bulk book order if attendees will get a copy.
Finalize the agenda
Place the keynote, usually after the leadership update, and confirm in-person or virtual delivery. The agenda template shows slot timing.
Run the kickoff
Chris delivers the session and can stay to work the room when the schedule allows.
Proof From Company Rooms
BeatStars Company Meeting
A virtual keynote to the BeatStars team: You Are Capable of More and the EDGE framework (embrace ownership, dare to stretch, generate momentum, elevate others).
Definitive Healthcare SKO
You Are Capable of More: Sales at the Definitive Healthcare Sales Kickoff in Boston, in front of 800+ people.
Kickoff Formats Chris Serves
Related pages: Annual Meeting Speaker · Company Event Speaker · Sales Kickoff Speaker · Team Offsite Speaker · Virtual Keynote Speaker
What Kickoff Planners Ask
When should we book a speaker for a January kickoff?
October through December. Most January and February kickoffs are locked in during the fourth quarter, and the best dates go first. If your date is set, reach out now for availability.
Is this only for sales teams?
No. The core program is built for the whole company: a warehouse lead and a VP of finance in the same room. If your kickoff has a sales track, You Are Capable of More: Sales can run as a breakout.
Where should the keynote sit in the agenda?
Usually right after the leadership update. Your team has just heard the plan for the year; the keynote is what turns it into something personal before the rest of the day.
Will he align with our theme for the year?
Yes. Chris asks for your theme and your leadership messages ahead of time and builds the session to reinforce them, not compete with them.
Our team is remote. Can he deliver it virtually?
Yes. Chris delivered a virtual keynote for the BeatStars company meeting. See virtual keynotes for formats.
Can every attendee get a copy of the book?
Yes, and it is a common kickoff gift. It keeps the message alive past the day and costs less per person than most of the swag on the table. See bulk orders for pricing and signed editions, and the free book discussion guide to run it as a team read after the kickoff.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Ten principles for closing the gap between what people are doing and what they are actually capable of.
A copy for every attendee is a common kickoff gift. It keeps the message alive past the day and costs less per person than most of the swag on the table. Bulk pricing and signed editions are available.
He Runs Kickoffs for His Own Companies
Chris is President & COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare, and Nebula. He knows what leadership is trying to accomplish on kickoff morning and how quickly a keynote can miss if it ignores the plan that came before it.
He took Uniti Med from startup to one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the US: 10x revenue growth on the core brand, #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award.
He is a Maxwell Leadership Certified coach, a bestselling author, an Inc. contributor, and a Forbes Business Council member.
As Seen & Heard
Television, national business press, and the podcasts where Chris talks culture, growth, and leadership.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Company Audiences Have Heard Chris
Company meetings, kickoffs, and business events where Chris has taken the stage.
BeatStars Company MeetingVirtualDefinitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MACrawford Memorial Recognition DinnerDenison, IAGreater Omaha ChamberOmaha, NEemPower BreakfastOmaha, NEAuthentica Connect & InspireConferenceAlso: President’s Club Speaker · Employee Recognition Speaker · See all speaking engagements →
Bring Chris to Your Company Kickoff
Tell Chris your date, your theme, and what you want people carrying into the year. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.
Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots